


i just want it to be you and i forever

by notyourbon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Childhood Friends, F/M, childhood AU, eventual sin, it's gonna be all adrien and marinette until like...much later, smol babies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-09-11 14:58:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 16,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8990434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notyourbon/pseuds/notyourbon
Summary: in which adrien and marinette are best friends since nursery





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> omg here goes my first fic! eeeeeek! the first chapter is super short (it's more of just an intro) but they'll get longer :)

_age 4:_

gripped tightly onto her mother’s leg with one arm, and pulled her ladybug stuffed animal closer to her chest with the other. With large, unblinking eyes, she watched as the other children squealed and ran around chasing each other.

 

Sabine stroked her daughter’s hair soothingly. “It’s time for me to go now, sweetie.” She tried to take a step away, gently easing away from Marinette’s strong hold, but the toddler’s grip didn’t loosen.

 

“But I don’t want you to go, Mama,” Marinette whispered. “I wanna go home and help Papa make yummy cakes.” Her voice trembled at the end, and she felt the tears stinging in her eyes. She tore her eyes away from the other kids and looked up at her mother. “Please don’t make me stay here,” she pleaded.

 

“Marinette, honey, it’s okay. I’ll come back in a few hours and then we can go home and help Papa with the cakes.” She pulled the tiny arm away from her leg crouched down. “You can go play with the other kids and make friends. It’ll be fun. Okay?”

 

Marinette scrunched her nose and tried her hardest not to cry, but a tear rolled down her cheek anyway. She hastily wiped it away and looked away from her mother. Her gaze fell on a blonde boy that was running towards her. She noticed earlier that he seemed to be playing by himself. Marinette took a hesitant step back toward her mother.

 

The boy skidded to a stop in front of her. “Hi,” he said breathlessly. His bright green eyes met with hers, and he pushed his messy blonde hair away from his forehead, only for it to fall back to where it was. “My name’s Adrien.” A smile stretched across his face.

 

Marinette looked at her mother, who nodded at her in encouragement. Turning back to Adrien, Marinette said in a small voice, “Hi.” Gathering her confidence, she said a little louder, “My name’s Marinette.” She returned his smile tentatively, only for his to grow even bigger.

 

“Wanna play superheroes with me?” he asked. “You can be” —he glanced at her plush toy— “Ladybug!”

 

Marinette giggled a little and pointed at the black cat on his shirt. “And you can be Chat Noir!”

 

Adrien joined in on her giggles and took her hand, pulling her toward the play area. Sabine smiled softly at her daughter and her newly made friend before slipping unnoticed out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the agreste family celebrates christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> always such a good idea to decide to write a christmas chapter an hour before christmas lol

“ _Gabriel_ ,” Amelie said, exasperated. “It’s _Christmas Eve_. Please come out and spend some time with your son. He’s been asking where you’ve been all day.” She bends down to wrap her arms around her husband’s shoulders and look at what he’s working on.

 

Gabriel pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and continues shading in the blazer he’s designing. “I promise I’ll be out after I finish this one up.”

 

“You said that when you were finishing up the dress.”

  
“I _promise_ , Amelie.” He turns his head to give her a quick peck on the lips.

 

She stands up and smooths out her dress. “That better be true,” she warns, but her tone is still light. “Fashion week can wait.”

 

Gabriel rushes through the rest of the design, slightly annoyed by how messy it turned out. But Amelie was right, fashion week can wait. Gabriel reaches under his desk to pull out a box. While he designed clothes for a living, Gabriel fell victim to wrapping presents every year. He could never make it look as tight and neat as Amelie or Nathalie could. At least the bow looked very nice.

 

He found Amelie and Adrien sitting in front of the fireplace, under the Christmas tree. Adrien was going through every present and shaking it at his ear, trying to guess the contents of each box. He notices Gabriel in the entryway and drops the box he’s holding. “Father!” he squeals. Gabriel felt his chest swell at the sight of his son’s excitement to see him. Adrien runs over to his father, nearly slipping in his soft onesie on the marble floors. Gabriel sets the present on the ground and catches him before he falls, and lifts Adrien up into his arms.

 

Adrien’s tiny arms wrap tightly around his father’s neck. “Merry Christmas!” he sang.

 

Gabriel nuzzles his nose into Adrien’s shoulder, causing him to squirm. “Merry Christmas, Adrien.” He sets Adrien down and crouches down next to him. “I have an early present for you. Do you want to open it?” He pushes the box towards Adrien.

 

Adrien giggles. “Mama’s better at wrapping presents than you.”

 

That gets a laugh out of both Gabriel and Amelie. “That’s very true, Adrien.” He ruffles Adrien’s hair.

  
Adrien tears away the paper and Gabriel helps him open the box. He tips it over to let Adrien pull out what’s inside. A squeal erupts from the toddler. “Look, Mama! Look at what Father got me! It’s a big kitty!” Adrien drags the stuffed animal all the way out of the box and falls on top of it.

 

“Oh my goodness, Gabriel,” Amelie laughs. “Where in the world did you get that? It’s even bigger than him!”  She wraps her arms around Gabriel’s waist and rests her head on his chest. They watch Adrien stroke the giant cat’s head.

 

“I had it custom-made at a shop downtown. The owner was very amused when I asked him specifically to make it bigger than a four year old boy.”

 

Amelie hums happily. “What do you say to your father, Adrien?”

 

Adrien runs over, dragging the cat by its ear. He wraps his other arm around Gabriel’s leg. “Thank you, Father. This is the best Christmas present _ever_!”

 

Gabriel smiles, and pulls his family closer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which adrien drools over sweets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would be a baker in another life
> 
> tysm to lelex and miraculyfe for being wonderful betas :)

The bell on the bakery door jingled. “Welcome,” Sabine greeted. You could hear the smile in her voice. “Look at who we have here!”

 

Marinette peeked around the counter to see a mop of messy blonde hair. “Adrien!” she squealed. She rushed over to the grinning boy and hugged him tightly.

 

“Hi Marinette,” Adrien said, hugging her back. Having seen Sabine several times already, he was already quite comfortable with her. He gave her a quick hug around her leg. “Hi, Mme. Sabine.”

 

Sabine laughed. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Sabine?”

 

Marinette looked up at the woman Adrien had come with. She was tall and slender, with familiar golden hair and bright green eyes. “Hi,” Marinette said shyly. “I’m Marinette. Are you Adrien’s mama?”

 

The woman bent down and smiled kindly at Marinette. “Hello there, Marinette. Yes, I am Adrien’s mama. You can call me Amelie.” She reached over and ruffled Adrien’s hair. “It’s nice to finally meet the girl this goofball won’t stop talking about.”

 

Marinette grinned and reached over to grab Adrien’s hand. “We’re _best_ friends,” she said matter-of-factly. “We’re Ladybug and Chat Noir, and Ladybug and Chat Noir _always_ stick together.”

 

Sabine and Amelie both laughed at that. “Why don’t you show Adrien some sweets,” Sabine suggested. “If that’s alright with his mama?” Amelie nodded and both Marinette and Adrien squealed in delight as the ran toward the glass cases filled with pastries.

 

“Wow,” Adrien breathed. His breath fogged up glass and he rubbed away the condensation. “Do you get to eat these all the time?”

 

“Mama and Papa only let me eat them sometimes.” Marinette looked back at her mother before she leaned over and whispered into his ear. “But sometimes, when they’re not looking, I take a macaron. They’re _so_ good.”

 

Adrien’s face is now pressed against the glass, staring hungrily at the profiteroles. “You’re so lucky. I almost _never_ get to eat sweets. Mama sometimes lets me but Father says that they’re bad for me.”

 

“Adrien, honey,” Amelie called. “Ask Marinette to help you pick out three things you would like. It’ll be our little secret.” She gave him a knowing wink.

 

“ _Really_?” Adrien asked, incredulous. “Thank you Mama!”

 

“You’re welcome, baby.” She turned back around to resume chatting with Sabine.

 

In the end, Adrien had chosen the biggest profiterole and éclair he could find, and a box of assorted macarons.

 

“That technically _is_ three things…” Amelie said, trailing off. “You are one clever boy, Adrien.” Adrien beamed and reached out for a macaron. He nibbled on it, as if to savor every little bite.

 

Amelie reached into her purse and Sabine waved her hands at her. “Absolutely no need, Amelie. It’s on the house today.”

 

“Oh, now don’t be ridiculous, Sabine. Adrien picked out an entire _box_ of macarons.”

 

“Really, it’s my pleasure. Adrien was so kind to Marinette on her first day—it’s the least I could do.”

 

“But–”

 

“ _Amelie_.”

 

Amelie returned her wallet back to her purse in defeat. “Thank you.” She turned to Adrien. “What do you say to Sabine?”

 

Adrien brushed the crumbs off his face. “Thank you very much Mme. Sabine.”

 

Sabine laughed. “You’re very welcome, Adrien. And you are welcome to come by anytime. I know Marinette has been wanting to play with you.”

 

Adrien nodded eagerly before sticking his finger into the cream in the profiterole. “Can I come and play with Marinette tomorrow, Mama?”

 

“You will see Marinette at school tomorrow, you can come on Saturday after your piano lessons, if it’s okay with Marinette’s mama.”

 

Adrien looked at Sabine with anticipation. “Of course you may,” Sabine said warmly. “You are always welcome in our home.”

 

The children erupted into cheers and started chattering about their plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would be forever thankful if you guys could reblog this on tumblr! here's the post i have: http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/155191674531/i-wish-it-could-be-you-and-i-forever


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which our smol children get in a little bit of trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh my first chapter of 2017! this was honestly one of my favorite chapters to write. hope you guys enjoy it!

_age 5:_

 

Marinette rolled over on the floor and groaned. “I’m so _bored_.”

 

Adrien sat cross legged across from her, picking at a scab on his knee. “Let’s play superheroes again.”

 

“But we just played that,” Marinette whined. “I wanna do something fun.”

 

“Playing superheroes _is_ fun!” Adrien protested. “It’s not my fault that you’re boring.” He crossed his arms across his chest.

 

Marinette pouted at him. “Am not!”

 

“Are too.”

 

“Am not!”

 

“Are too.”

 

“Am not! It’s no fun playing superheroes when we don’t even _look_ like superheroes. What kind of superhero doesn’t even have a superhero costume?”

 

“It’s called having an _imagination_.”

 

“What’s that?”

 

“I dunno. My mama says that it when you think something up to make it real.”

 

Marinette snorted. “That’s _stupid._ ” A mischievous smile spread across her face. “I have a better idea.” She runs over to her desk and pulls a box of markers out of a drawer. She plops the box down next to Adrien and opens it, pulling out a black marker. She uncaps it, and takes Adrien’s arm.

 

“Hey! What are you doing!” He pulls his arm away. Marinette tugs his arm back and puts the tip of the marker to forearm. Adrien jerks his arm away again, but there’s dark line left on his skin. “Look at what you did!”

 

Marinette sighs and licks her finger. “It goes away. See?” She rubs her finger against the black mark and it fades away into a gray smear.

 

“Not really.”

 

“Do you want to have fun or not?” Marinette shoots him a glare.

 

Adrien pouts and gives his arm back to her. “Fine,” he grumbles.

 

Ten minutes later, most of Adrien’s exposed skin is covered in black ink. Marinette approaches his face with the marker. “ _Don’t._ Move.”

 

Adrien whimpers. “If we get in trouble it’s all your fault.”

 

“I _said_ , don’t move!”

 

Marinette finishes off the last whisker and steps back to look at her work. “Wait here.” She scampers off and returns with one of Tom’s belts, which is tucked into the back of Adrien’s pants. She nods in approval. Marinette picks out a red marker and hands it to Adrien. “Your turn.”

 

Adrien sighs and takes it. Soon enough, Marinette’s arms and legs are red, spotted with black polka dots. Adrien is carefully filling in the mask around Marinette’s eyes when the door opens. He freezes.

 

“Time for–” A pause. “Oh dear god.”

 

Adrien drops the marker and tears start streaming down his face. “It was Marinette’s idea!” he wailed. That earned him a slap on the arm from Marinette, who was immediately scolded by her mother.

 

“We don’t hit people, Marinette. What do you say to Adrien?”

 

Nothing from Marinette.

 

“ _Marinette_.”

 

“Sorry.”

 

Sabine sigh and walks over to the bathroom to draw a bath.

 

“Tattle-tale,” Marinette mumbled.

 

Adrien scowled at her. “I told you it was a bad idea.”

 

Sabine poked her head out of the bathroom door to see the children bickering. She pulled out her phone and snapped a few pictures before telling them to take their clothes off and get in the bath. They stripped out of their clothes silently and climbed into the bath. Marinette sat with her arms crossed over her chest. Adrien looked down at the thick layer of bubbles and flicked at them. He sniffled.

 

Sabine suppressed her smile. Despite having to bathe them in the middle of the day, this was actually quite comical. She snuck a few more snapshots. _The kids will get a kick out of this when they’re older_ , she thought to herself. She helped scrub the ink off their bodies and wiped their faces down with baby wipes before letting them dry off and get dressed.

 

Later that night, after Marinette was put to bed, Sabine showed Tom the photos she took earlier that day. He guffawed, his entire body shaking. “This,” he wheezed, “was Marinette’s idea?”

 

“Apparently. Who knew, our daughter is a natural artist!”

 

That only made Tom laugh even harder. “Wait, wait, scroll back to that last one.” He paused to look closer at the photo. He zooms in on Adrien’s tear-streaked face. “Look at Adrien, that poor boy!” Tom roared, tears streaming from his eyes, and Sabine joined in on the laughter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you've been enjoying this fic, please share it with friends! i'm mostly writing just for fun, but every time I see new kudos, comments, bookmarks, or subscriptions, i get SO EXCITED. thanks for reading!
> 
> ooh and check it out on tumblr too! http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/155512067311/i-wish-it-could-be-you-and-i-forever-chapter-4


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which adrien shares his cake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> guys, i make a killer chicken salad

_age 6:_

_Thwack_. The plush pigeon rolled across the floor and Marinette and Adrien start hooting and howling. “And Ladybug saves the day!” Adrien yelled.

 

“And Chat Noir!” Marinette added in. She drops her makeshift weapon—an old, tangled yo-yo—and flops onto her bed. Adrien joins her, and they chatter about what villain they should fight next time. Before long, both are snoring softly, still dressed in their Ladybug and Chat Noir costumes that Sabine and Amelie had crafted for them after The Incident.

 

Sabine notices the silence as she’s making lunch for the kids. No more trampling overhead—just silence. She sets down the plates on the table and tiptoes upstairs, peeking her head into Marinette’s room. She smiles tenderly at how peaceful the two kids look, curled up against each other on the small bed. After snapping a quick picture, she walks over and smooths down Marinette’s hair, and then brushes Adrien’s bangs away from his forehead.

 

“Hey, kiddos,” she says softly. “Time to get up and eat lunch.”

 

“Mmm…no,” Marinette mumbled. “Sleep.”

 

“I made your favorite,” Sabine said in a singsong voice. Adrien stirs a little. “Chicken salad croissant sandwich.” She bends over Adrien and adds, “And whoever gets downstairs first gets to eat a slice of chocolate cake!”

 

Adrien cracks an eye open. “Chocolate cake _and_ an éclair?”

 

“Deal.”

 

Adrien scrambles out of Marinette’s bed and bounds downstairs. Marinette rubs her eyes. “But Mama…”

 

“Don’t ‘but Mama’ me, Marinette. It’s time for lunch. Adrien’s downstairs waiting for you.”

 

Marinette sighs and pulls herself out of bed, trudging down the stairs. Adrien bounces on his toes, eyes wide. “Mme. Sabine, can I have the sweets now?”

 

“After you finish your sandwich.”

 

Adrien scarfs down his sandwich, and slowly savors the éclair. After he finishes, he swings his legs and licks the melted chocolate off his fingers, all while staring intently at Marinette. “Hurry up, Marinette. Eat your sandwich.”

 

Marinette scowls at him and picks at the remnants of her lunch. “I don’t want to.”

 

“Please hurry up. I want to share my cake with you.”

 

At the sound of that, Marinette’s expression changes. “Really? But why? You got downstairs first.”

 

“I still want to share with you. You’re my _best_ friend and that’s what best friends do.”

 

Sabine hears this exchange across the kitchen and smiles to herself. The two kids had only known each other for a few months, and already they were inseparable. She imagined what they would be like in ten years and chucked. She feels warm, strong hands wrap around her waist. A kiss is pressed to her temple and she turns her head to kiss her husband’s cheek.

 

“What’s so funny?”

 

“The kids…I was just imagining what they’d be like in ten years—if they stay friends for that long, of course. I hope they do. They’re such close friends already, but some kids just grow apart when they get older.”

 

Tom lets out a deep rumbling laugh. “I don’t doubt for a second that they’ll still be friends. But whether or not they’ll be more…”

 

Sabine elbowed him in the ribs. “ _Tom_! They’re just children right now!” She glances back at the kids, who were now arguing over who would start at the pointy end of the cake, and who would start at wider end. “Oh _heavens_ , our daughter is going to be a teenager someday.”

 

“Yes, dear, that’s usually how growing up works.”

  
That got Tom another playful jab in his side, and he chuckled, pressing another kiss to Sabine’s temple before heading back down to the bakery.

 

The kids were still arguing when Sabine walked over to clear the plates off the table. “Alright, alright.” She takes Marinette’s fork and runs it evenly down the center of the cake. “Adrien, you can have the top half with more frosting since you were a good boy and came down first. And Marinette, since you have such a nice friend, you still get half the slice. Does that sound fair?”

 

Adrien nodded. “I _guess_ so,” Marinette grumbled. Sabine handed the fork back to Marinette who immediately took a swipe of frosting off Adrien’s half and stuck it in her mouth.

 

“Hey!” Adrien protested. “That was mine!”

 

A silly grin spreads across Marinette’s face. “You can have it back.” She opens her mouth and sticks her chocolatey tongue out, leaning threateningly close to Adrien.

 

Adrien shrinks away, barely avoiding the gruesome fate of getting chocolate frosting licked all over his face. “Ew, gross! I don’t want it anymore!”

 

Marinette squeals gleefully and lets the frosting slowly melt away in her mouth, very content with the turn of events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, thanks so much to everyone for reading! share this among your friends! you can find me, and this fic on tumblr: http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/155830152861/i-wish-it-could-be-you-and-i-forever-chapter-5


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which marinette finds her passion

_age 9:_

 

Marinette tiptoed down the long hallway in the Agreste Mansion. Even though she was just on her way back to the home theater from the bathroom, she felt like she was committing a crime by just existing in the mansion. For the last few years, she had spent at least a couple days every week in the mansion, and yet, she could not bring herself to become accustomed to the pregnant silence and cold aura. And everything was so spotless—not a single speck of dust lingered on the cool marble that sprawled throughout the mansion. She slowed down as she approached Amelie’s study. The door was cracked open a little bit, and she could hear the soft sounds of classical music lingering in the air, and the sweet humming that accompanied it. She peeked into the study, heart pounding in her chest, and saw Amelie perched in the armchair. She listened to the sound of graphite scratching on paper, and strained to see what Amelie drew in her sketchpad.

 

“There’s no need to hide in the shadows, Marinette,” Amelie called out. Although there was absolutely no hint of annoyance in Amelie’s voice, Marinette’s heart skipped a beat. But her voice was encouraging, luring Marinette closer to see what she was doing. As she got closer, she saw the gowns Amelie had been drawing. She stood there for a couple minutes, mesmerized by the smooth strokes of the pencil.

 

“Wow,” Marinette breathed. “These are so pretty. They’re like princess dresses.”

 

“Why, thank you,” Amelie replied. She started to lightly color in the dress. “In fact, this was inspired by Cinderella’s ball gown. It’s not the same style, but the color palette is very similar, as well as some of the detailing.”

 

Marinette nodded fervently at what Amelie had said, despite having understood only a small bit of it. “Will you teach me how to do that?”

 

Amelie paused and looked up at Marinette. “Design clothes?”

 

Marinette made a noise of affirmation.

 

“Do you really want to learn?”

 

Marinette nodded firmly. “Yes. I really, _really_ want to learn.”

 

“It won’t be all that fun at first though,” Amelie warned with a twinkle in her eye. “You won’t be designing dresses like this right away—or anything at all, really.”

 

“ _Please_ , Amelie,” Marinette begged. “I promise I want to learn.”

 

“Okay.” Amelie stands up and pads over to her desk, pulling open a drawer. She picks up a sketchbook, very similar to the one she was working in, except slightly smaller in size. She picks up a couple pencils on her way back to where Marinette was waiting for her. She hands the sketchbook and a pencil to Marinette, who carefully takes them, as if they would shatter in her hands with any sudden movement. “Why don’t you pull up that stool?” Amelie suggested. “It might be easier to draw if you’re sitting.

 

Marinette sets her things down on the end table next to the armchair and grabs the wooden stool Amelie had gestured to. Marinette sits down in it, trying to sit as tall as she can. “Okay,” she says confidently. “I’m ready.”

  
Amelie smiles. “Okay then. Let’s get started.”

 

Marinette opens her sketchpad open to the first page. The blank, white surface was momentarily daunting, but she shook off the feeling.

 

“First, you’re going to learn how to draw croquis. Do you know what that is?”

 

Marinette shook her head.

 

Amelie gestured to one of the many figures drawn in her sketchbook. “This is a croquis. It’s a really quick, rough drawing of a person and will be the starting point of most of your sketches. You’re basically drawing the model for your clothes.”

 

Marinette nodded as she listened.

 

Amelie picked up her pencil and drew a rounded oval on her paper. “This will be the model’s head. Can you try drawing a few of them? Not too much like a circle or else your model’s head will look like a football, but also not too much like an oval or else your model’s head will look like an American football.” Marinette giggled at that. Amelie flawlessly drew a few more in a row with a flick of the wrist. “Kind of like an egg. And use your pencil lightly—there’s no need to press too hard. Look at how I’m holding my pencil.” Marinette stared at Amelie’s fingers intently, and shifted her grip on her own pencil.

 

Marinette’s pencil tip hovered over the paper for a few seconds before coming down to meet the sketchpad. The graphite glided across the smooth surface, and movement was slow and calculated. The two ends of the pencil stroke met and Marinette stared at the shape that she drew. It was slightly unsymmetrical and she could see where her hand moved too suddenly. She looked to Amelie for her opinion.

 

“That’s a very good start,” she praised. “You’ll get the hang of it after practicing a little bit. Draw as many as you can on this page, and put a star next to the ones that you think look good.”

 

“Okay.” Marinette bent over her sketchpad again, concentrating on each shape. As she drew more, Amelie occasionally murmured a praise or a piece of advice. Halfway through one of pencil strokes, Marinette paused and let out a quiet “ _Oh._ ”

 

“Everything okay?” Amelie asked.

 

“I forgot—Adrien’s waiting for me to finish the rest of _Kiki’s Delivery Service_.”

 

Amelie laughed. “Well, run along then. And the sketchbook and pencil are for you to keep.”

 

A wide smile spread across Marinette’s face. “Thanks,” she breathed before running back to Adrien.

 

That night, Tom and Sabine found Marinette at her desk in concentration, drawing row after row of rounded ovals.

 

“What are you doing up so late, honey?” Tom asked. “It’s nearly ten—you should’ve been in bed a couple hours ago.”

 

“I’m going to be a fashion designer when I grow up,” Marinette replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! also check it out on tumblr: http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/156143248346/i-wish-it-could-be-you-and-i-forever-chapter-6


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which adrien is basically a cat

_age 10:_

 

Adrien was stuck in a tree. Actually stuck. “I’m going to kill you for this,” he yelled down to Marinette.

 

Marinette rolled her eyes as she tested her footing on the lowest knot in the tree before hoisting herself up high enough to reach the lowest branch. “Shut up,” she yelled back. “It’s not my fault you can’t get down!”

 

“You dared me first!”

 

That earned him another eye roll from Marinette. She slowly made her way up. “I didn’t know you’ve never climbed a tree before!” She looked up to see how much farther she had to climb before reaching Adrien. “How did you even get that high on your first try?”

 

“I don’t know,” Adrien wailed from above. “Can you hurry up? I don’t think I can hold on for much longer.”

 

To be honest, Marinette didn’t have a plan. What could she even do to help him get down when she got up there? But it was better than getting Mme. Muller and getting both of them in trouble. “I’m almost there,” she called up. She pulled herself up another branch stopped at the one below the one Adrien was perched on to catch her breath and observe the situation.

 

“Adrien…how did you even get up there?” The distance between Marinette’s branch and Adrien’s was far greater than the other ones they had climbed up. As Marinette examined the trunk, she couldn’t find any knots big or low enough to be used as footholds.

 

Adrien just replied with a whimper.

 

“Okay, this is what we’re going to do,” Marinette said. “I’m going to sit on this branch and you’re going to lower yourself down and step on my shoulder. There’s a knot right there that you should be able to hold on to once you’re low enough, and get on this branch. Got it?”

 

Adrien nodded fervently.

 

Marinette slowly sat down and wrapped her arms around the thick trunk of the tree. “And try not to ruin my shirt too much.”

 

After a few minutes, Adrien successfully made it down to Marinette’s branch. Marinette rubbed the top of her head where Adrien had accidentally kicked her. “Sorry,” Adrien whispered sheepishly, but Marinette had already turned her attention elsewhere.

 

“Marinette and Adrien sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.” Kim sang.

 

“ _KIM_!” Marinette roared.

 

The singing stopped. Marinette turned back to Adrien. “Okay, the rest of it should be easy. I’ll go first, and follow exactly where I go.”

 

Before Adrien could respond, Marinette was already making her way down to the next branch. Adrien took a deep breath and followed her.

 

Marinette’s feet hit the ground. “Okay Adrien, almost there.”

 

Just as she said that, Adrien felt his foot slip. He scrambled to hold on to something but continued to fall. He collided with something soft and then felt the cool ground against his face. There was a sharp pain in his left arm and he moaned in pain.

 

“Adrien.” Marinette’s voice was also strained with pain. “Please…get off my arm.”

 

Adrien tried to roll over without moving his injured arm. The kids who had been nearby erupted in screams, Kim’s being the loudest. “Someone call 1-1-2!” he screamed. “Marinette and Adrien are dying!”

 

Marinette and Adrien groaned in unison.

 

* * *

 

 

Marinette and Adrien sat in separate beds across from one another, and had been silently glowering at each other for the last five minutes.

 

“Well, it looks like you two each have a broken arm,” the doctor announced. “We’ll get you two in casts and your arms will be new in no time.”

 

“Define ‘no time.’” Gabriel glared at the doctor pointedly, earning an elbow in the ribs from Amelie.

 

“As soon as three weeks,” the doctor replied cheerily.

 

“And what should we keep in mind to make sure their arms heal properly?” Sabine asked. She clung onto Tom’s arm with worry.

 

“You should keep the cast dry at all times. You can tie a plastic bag around the cast when the kids take showers to keep it dry. Or we can give them casts that have waterproof liners, which would make things a little easier. Try to keep the arm elevated as much as possible to reduce swelling.” The doctor continued to list ways to care for the injury and the four worried parents listened intently.

 

“Your fault,” Marinette muttered, looking away from him.

 

“Is not,” Adrien retorted defiantly, looking away as well.

 

Three and a half weeks later, the pair had their casts removed, and Adrien vowed to never climb a tree ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, thanks for reading!! read and reblog on tumblr: http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/156461986506/i-wish-it-could-be-you-and-i-forever-chapter-7


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which mari gets her first period

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not that any of y'all are wondering.....but the title of this fic is from a one direction song lol

_age 11:_

 

It was 3:30 AM, and Marinette was _not_ happy that she had randomly woken up and couldn’t fall back asleep. She was curled up against Adrien, whose leg was draped over hers. She really wanted to roll onto her other side and flip the pillow over to feel the cool fabric against her cheek, but there was no way to do so without moving Adrien as well. She sighed in frustration before deciding to shove him off to the side. She valued her sleep way too much to allow Adrien to get in the way of her getting comfortable enough to fall back asleep.

 

Adrien mumbled something and Marinette froze. She allowed a few seconds to pass before letting out a quiet sigh of relief and adjusted the covers and curling up again. After counting 937 sheep, Marinette finally fell back asleep.

 

* * *

 

Adrien’s arm was heavily draped over Marinette’s shoulder when she stirred again. She checked her clock. 9:34 AM. She would ideally sleep in for another hour or so, especially since it was the weekend, but the chances of that happening was slim to none. And anyway, she was way too hot and sweaty to fall back asleep. She wrinkled her nose at the unpleasant feeling of her clothes sticking to her body. She elbowed Adrien. “Hey. Get off me.”

 

“Mmm.” The arm around her shoulder pulled her closer.

 

“Yeah, morning to you too.” Marinette wiggled out from under Adrien’s arm. She pulled the covers back only for Adrien to grasp her wrist. “Mmm come back to bed. You’re letting out the warm air.”

 

Marinette pried Adrien’s fingers off her. “Yeah, just lemme pee really quick. I’ll be back in a sec.” She climbed down from her lofted bed and made her way to the bathroom. She glanced at her weary reflection in the mirror before sitting down on the toilet. She noticed her blood-stained underwear just as a horrified yell came from her room.

 

Marinette stared dumbly at the deep red stain. Well, there goes a perfectly good pair of underwear. There’s the sound of running footsteps downstairs and then the trapdoor of her room opening. She wipes, wrinkles her nose at the smear of red on the toilet paper, and flushes. She gingerly pulls her underwear and pajama bottoms back up and washes her hands before opening the bathroom door. Now aware of the source of the dampness on her underwear, Marinette waddles out into her room. Both Adrien and Sabine turn to look at her—Adrien’s face is masked with horror, while Sabine is looking at her daughter expectantly.

 

“I think I got my period,” Marinette mumbled.

 

Sabine pulls her daughter into a hug. “Oh, honey, congratulations!” Adrien continues to stare, completely perplexed by the turn of events.

 

Marinette’s voice is muffled by her mother’s shoulder. “What’s so great about _bleeding from my vagina_?”

 

Sabine laughs at that. “That’s a good point. It’s just what my mother said to me when I started my period. Why don’t you change into a fresh pair pants and underwear, and grab your sheets? I can show you how to get the stains out so they don’t ruin the fabric. There’s pads in the bottom drawer under your sink. Take one of the pink ones and stick it in the middle of your underwear.” Marinette nodded, taking in the information.

 

“Oh, and Adrien.” Sabine looks up at the dazed boy. “Breakfast is ready downstairs if you want to go ahead and help yourself. I made strawberry and Nutella crepes. I put them in the oven so that they’d stay warm, so be careful when you take them out.”

 

Adrien offers her a weak smile. “Thanks, Sabine.”

 

Marinette, who had changed into fresh clothes, made her way back up onto her bed. She scowled at Adrien. “Don’t be such a weirdo about this.”

 

Adrien mirrored her expression. “I’m not!”

 

“Sure you’re not. Get off my bed so I can take the sheets off.”

 

Adrien clambered down the ladder and made a beeline for the bathroom to quickly wash up before heading downstairs.

 

“Morning, Adrien.” Adrien nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned around to see Tom giving him an amused look. “Jumpy this morning, aren’t we?”

 

“Yeah, maybe a little. I didn’t see you there.”

 

“What was with all the commotion upstairs earlier?”

 

Adrien blushed and looked away. “Oh. Um…Mari got her first period.”

 

Tom hummed and nodded his head. “Well, you two are at that age right now. Your bodies are starting to change and it’s going to be a little weird at first, but it’s all part of growing up.”

 

Adrien grabs a plate and slides a few crepes onto it. “Yeah, it really caught me by surprise—seeing blood on the sheets, I mean. I thought she got hurt or something.”

 

Tom chuckled. “I remember the first time I saw blood on the seat of my older sister’s pants when I was younger—I was probably seven or eight years old. I almost called 2-1-1!”

 

Adrien laughed weakly at that. “That probably would’ve been a little embarrassing for both of you guys.”

 

“Mhm. Well, son, I gotta get back down to the bakery. But if you ever have any questions about all that” —Tom gestures to Adrien’s body— “don’t be afraid to ask.”

 

Adrien nearly choked on his crepe. “Uh, yeah, okay. Thanks.”

 

* * *

 

“So, Mari got her first period this morning,” Adrien says as nonchalantly as possible. He laying on the couch in his mother’s study, and continues to stare at the ceiling.

 

“Oh?” Amelie says. “That’s very exciting for her.”

 

“I dunno. She didn’t seem all that excited about it. And I wouldn’t be if I were her either. Who wants to bleed all the time?”

 

“Well, it’s not _all_ the time. Just about a week per month. I guess it is rather unpleasant, but for a lot of girls, it marks the beginning of womanhood.”

 

Adrien snorts at that. “Sounds like fun.”

 

Amelie stops sketching for a minute. “Your body’s going to start changing too, Adrien.”

 

Adrien flips around on the couch and groans into the pillow. “I _know_ , Mother. I already learned about it in school, and Tom mentioned it this morning too.”

 

“You’ll have hair growing in new places, you’ll start having different feelings about girls—or boys if that’s what you’re into, you’ll–”

 

“ _Mother_ ,” Adrien moans, exasperated. “Do we have to do this now?”

 

Amelie holds her hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll stop talking about it. I’ll just have your father talk to you later.”

 

“ _Mother_!”

 

Amelie laughs at the look of horror and embarrassment on her son’s face as she lays out the lineup for the following week’s show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay! you made it to the bottom! thanks for reading :)
> 
> you can also find it (and reblog) on tumblr: http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/156778681541/i-wish-it-could-be-you-and-i-forever-chapter-8


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which mari learns how to sew

Marinette nervously chewed on her bottom lip as Amelie flipped through her sketchbook. She had finally started to get the hang of using her pencil with more fluidity, and was able to draw rough— _very_ rough—sketches of clothes over the croquis. Most of them were mockups of spreads in _Vogue_ with a touch of her own style.

 

Amelie smiled as she nodded. “Very nice, Marinette. I like what you did with this one. I take it that this was inspired by last year’s fall line?”

 

Marinette nodded. “I liked the sweater but it seemed sort of boring to me. So, I added the pockets and buttons.”

 

Amelie laughed at that. “It was a little plain, wasn’t it?”

 

Marinette felt the heat rise up neck and burn her cheeks. “Oh, no, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to insult your work! It’s just that–”

 

Amelie waved her hand. “Don’t apologize. Don’t ever apologize for your work. I think you made very good improvements to the design.”

 

A smile made its way onto Marinette’s face. “So what are we working on today?”

 

“How about you choose? We can either continue hand-sewing, or I can show you how to work a sewing machine.”

 

Marinette suppressed a squeal. “Sewing machine!” she blurted.

 

“Have you ever used a sewing machine before?”

 

Marinette shook her head.

  
“That’s okay. I’ve noticed that you’re a pretty quick learner” —Marinette blushed at that— “so you’ll probably get the hang of it pretty quickly. “Do you have your notebook ready?”

 

“Yep!” Marinette replied cheerily. They walked over to Amelie’s workstation in the far corner of the study. There were two sewing machines on the desk and Amelie sat down at the one on the right.

 

“Okay, I’m going to show you how to wind the bobbin first. The bobbin is a small spool of thread that goes in the bottom part of the sewing machine. It’s where the underside stitch comes from.” Amelie shows Marinette how to wrap the thread around and attach it to the bobbin. “Okay, see this pedal? This is what you control the speed the machine goes at. Press down on it gently with your foot like this.” Amelie applied a little pressure to the pedal and the spool started to spin. “Do you want to give it a shot?”

 

“Yeah,” Marinette breathed. Amelie moved over for her, and Marinette lightly set her foot down on the pedal. A grin spread across her face as the spool started to spin again.

 

“Keep letting it spin, and I’ll tell you when to stop.” After the first one, Marinette spun a few bobbins on her own.

 

“How fast can this go?” Marinette asked. She pressed down a little harder, grinning mischievously.

 

Amelie laughed at that. “I don’t know, I’ve never tried pushing down all the way, and I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it either.”

 

Marinette pouted at that as she lifted her foot to finish off the last bobbin. She snipped the thread and Amelie moved back over to sit in front of the machine.

 

“And now for threading the machine. It’s kind of tricky at first, but after a few tries, you’ll be able to do it without even thinking.” Marinette picked up her notebook held her pencil over the page, ready to take notes. She scribbled frantically as Amelie moved through the steps. “And then, you turn the wheel toward you a few times to get the bobbin thread to come out, and then just slide a needle or a pair of scissors under it to pull out a few inches. Did you get all of that?”

 

Marinette nodded as she jotted down the last couple details. “Yeah, I think so. Can I give it a try?”

 

Amelie’s eyes sparkled at Marinette’s enthusiasm. “Of course.” She gestures to the machine next to her. “Why don’t you try it on this one? I’ll unthread my machine and you can try to follow along with me without looking at your notes.” As she unthreads the machine, Amelie thinks about how Marinette feels like a daughter to her. She and Gabriel had tried for another child a couple years after Adrien was born, but gave up after three miscarriages.

 

She’s pulled out of her thoughts when Marinette pokes at her cheek impishly. “Helloooo? Anyone in there?”

 

She playfully swats Marinette’s hand away and tickles her side. Marinette squeals and squirms away. They spend the next fifteen minutes threading and unthreading, then Amelie pulls out a few scraps of fabric. “I think you’re ready for some actual sewing.”

 

Marinette is bouncing in her chair at this point, unable to contain her excitement. She had been waiting for this moment the second Amelie had put a needle in her hands. She practices sewing straight rows of stitches, frowning when they’re kind of crooked. Amelie reassures her and helps with guiding her hands and fabric. Marinette’s confidence grows, and Amelie brings out a scrap with a heart drawn on it for her to follow. Marinette carefully maneuvers the fabric under the needle, determined to produce straight, even stitches. And that she did. Amelie warmly praises her and gives her a quick hug, before bringing out rectangular pieces of fabric. Half an hour later, Marinette beams at the pillowcase that she made.

 

As they sky starts to darken outside, Amelie starts to tidy up the workstation, and Marinette stops her work to help. Amelie brings out a cardboard box and puts the sewing machine in it. “I think it’s time for this old guy to find a new home. Would you like to take this home with you, Marinette?”

 

Marinette felt her jaw drop. “Are you being serious right now?”

 

Amelie’s face becomes solemn. “Yes, Marinette, I’m being very serious right now.”

 

Marinette squeals and launches herself at Amelie for a hug. “Thank you so, so, _so_ much Amelie!”

 

* * *

 

 

Over the next few months, Amelie teaches Marinette how to create pleats in a skirt, how to sew designs to fit a body, how to transform thrift store items into fashionable pieces. Marinette nearly passes out from excitement when Amelie gives her a dress form for her thirteenth birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i love the never ending cycle of midterms.
> 
> thanks for reading! come say hi and check it out on tumblr too :) http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/157080366566/i-just-want-it-to-be-you-and-i-forever-chapter-9


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which everyone's lives are forever changed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honest to god, i have never been more nervous posting a chapter

_age 13:_

 

There was a knock at the door. Gabriel looked up to see Nathalie, who looked quite nervous. That alone had him on edge. _Nothing_ made Nathalie nervous. “Monsieur Agreste,” Nathalie said quietly. “You should turn on the news.”

 

Gabriel reached for the remote control and turned on the TV. A woman appeared on the screen with a grave expression on her face. “Breaking news,” she announced. “We are just getting word that France Air Flight 562 has been reported missing. The commercial aircraft departed from the Charles de Gaulle Airport at 10 AM, and was scheduled to land at the John F. Kennedy Airport this evening at 6:30 PM, which was over two hours ago.”

 

It was suddenly too hard for Gabriel to breathe. He turned the television off. “Nathalie,” Gabriel choked out. “What is the meaning of this?”

 

“Your wife was scheduled to take the 9 AM flight out of Pairs. Due to her late arrival to the airport, she was unable to board her original flight and got on a later flight.”

 

“Flight 562,” Gabriel whispered.

 

“I am so sorry, sir,” Nathalie offered. “I have contacted the airline several times and they are being very tight lipped about the situation. But I will keep you updated.”

 

“Thank you, Nathalie.”

 

Nathalie turned to leave the office but Gabriel stopped her. “Wait. Is Adrien still awake?”

 

The color seemed to have drained out of Nathalie’s face. “Yes, I believe so.”

 

“Will you please send him down in about fifteen minutes?”

  
“Yes, sir.”

 

Gabriel sunk into his chair and stared at the ceiling. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again. He watched the stars dance in his vision momentarily before disappearing.

 

 _Disappearing_. An entire plane—just _gone_. He reckoned that there were at least a couple hundred people on that plane. A couple hundred people who were on their way to enjoy a vacation, or visit loved ones, or attend to business.

 

 _Amelie_. His dear and beloved Amelie. Why hadn’t he insisted harder for her to take the company jet? Did he even kiss her goodbye this morning? He fumbled for his phone and dialed her number. It went straight to voicemail. “Hello! You have reached Amelie Agreste! I am unable to answer your call right now but–”

 

Gabriel hung up, unable to listen to the rest of the recording. He stood up and started pacing. No, this all had to be a mistake. Nathalie must have just made a silly mistake and Amelie was not actually on that flight. It was easy to forget flight numbers and there must have been other flights departing Charles de Gaulle for New York that morning. Or maybe the news station was just playing a cruel trick.

 

Gabriel let out a frustrated shout as his fist slammed into his desk. Tears streamed down his face as he continued to pound his fist into the hard, unforgiving wood. He let out another shout as his fist collided with the desktop one last time. He crumpled into his chair, body convulsing with his broken sobs.

 

 _Adrien_. What would he tell his son? He reached for his phone again, and his thumb hovered over a number he rarely called. He shook his head. Not tonight—it wouldn’t be right. He set his phone down and wiped away the tears that had been continuously streaming down his face. He saw the door push open and a messy mop of blonde hair appear.

 

“Father? You asked to see me?”

 

“Yes, Adrien. Please, come here.” He patted his knee, gesturing for Adrien to sit there.

 

“I think I’m a little old for that, Father.”

 

“Come on now, Adrien,” Gabriel said softly. “I have to talk to you about something.”

 

Adrien climbed onto Gabriel’s knee. “Why are you crying?”

 

“Your mother left this morning to fly to New York, remember?”

 

Adrien nodded. “She said that she would bring me a Statue of Liberty keychain for my collection.”

 

Gabriel felt like someone had reached into his chest and squeezed his heart tightly. It was actually quite painful. “Your mother might not come back, Adrien,” he said. Adrien gave him a confused look. Gabriel continued. “It was just on the news that her plane went missing. It never got to New York and they don’t know where it is. They’re looking very hard right now.”

 

“But they’ll find her, right?”

 

Tears started welling up in his eyes again, and no matter how hard he fought, Gabriel couldn’t keep them from falling down his face. “We don’t know, Adrien. They might not.”

 

Adrien’s eyes glistened with tears. “Is mama dead?” he whispered.

 

“I don’t know, Adrien. I don’t know.” His voice cracked.

 

Before his tears could fall, Adrien buried his face into his father’s chest. Gabriel pulled his son closer, hugging him tight while smoothing his hand over the silky, golden hair. Adrien let out a tiny sob, and Gabriel felt his entire heart just shatter into a million pieces. He allowed his tears to trickle down his face again, cradling the small boy in his arms.

 

 _Be strong for Adrien_ , he chanted to himself. _Be strong for Adrien_.

 

* * *

 

  
Gabriel allowed Adrien to stay home from school the next day. He spent as much time as he could with the boy, playing video games with him in the home theater, allowing him to curl up under his arm as they watched a film. But spending so much time with Adrien also pained him. He had never realized how much Adrien resembled Amelie. Obviously, they had the same golden hair, and the same striking green eyes, but the curvature of their ears, the slimness of their noses, the sharpness of their cheekbones—all the same.

 

And it wasn’t just the physical features that Adrien had inherited from his mother. Adrien took after his mother’s compassion, selflessness, and charisma. Gabriel remembers when he and Amelie took Adrien to the zoo for the first time—he was at most three or four years old—and how tears welled up in his eyes as he asked them why the animals were locked up. He remembers when he and Amelie had taken Adrien out to spend his allowance for the first time when he was six years old. He had spent it all on two cones at the ice cream parlor, and before Gabriel could gently scold him on spending all his money on sweets, Adrien had run to the street corner where a man held a sign that read, _Hungry—no job_. In the next ten minutes, Amelie had struck up a conversation with a man, and offered him a custodial job at _Gabriel_ to get him back on his feet. The man had just left the job last year, and they had received a card in the mail during the holidays from the family.

 

Gabriel was pulled back into reality by the soft snoring that came from the crook of his arm and realized that neither of them had been paying attention to the film. He carefully picked Adrien up, and carried him to his bed upstairs. Though it was still quite early, and he had not done any work all day, Gabriel found himself climbing into bed as well, not even bothering to change into his pajamas. His arm reached out to the other half of the bed, feeling the cool emptiness of the sheets.

 

The next morning, Gabriel chokes back a sob when he finds Adrien curled up on the closet floor, face buried in one of Amelie’s favorite sweaters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!!! find this chapter (and me) on tumblr! http://not-your-bon.tumblr.com/post/157377391121/i-wish-it-could-be-you-and-i-forever-chapter-10


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which it's been a year and our boys are still broken

_age 14_ :

 

Marinette had watched Adrien’s relationship with his father momentarily strengthen before disintegrating into nothing. When the falling out had happened, she had tried to coax Adrien into talking about it, but he clammed up every time she asked.

 

Today marked one year after Amelie’s disappearance. Adrien should be spending the day with his father, despite their estranged relationship, but instead, he was playing Ultimate Mecha Strike III with Marinette in her room. They played in silence, and tension hung heavily in the air. After a few rounds, Marinette put down her controller.

 

“Adrien,” she pleaded softly. “Talk to me. You can’t keep it bottled up like this forever.”

 

“I _said_ , I don’t want to talk about it.”

 

“Adrien–”

 

He whipped around to look at her. “ _Drop it_ ,” he snapped.

 

Marinette flinched a little and picked up her controller again. They played a few more rounds and the tension in the room seemed to pull back a little bit. “Adrien, I’m–”

 

“ _It’s my fault that she’s dead_ ,” Adrien roared, pain and anger burning in his eyes. “ _Is that what you wanted to hear me say_?”

 

Marinette’s controller clattered to the ground “–sorry,” she finished.

 

Adrien’s head hung in his hands and his entire body shook with sobs. Marinette rolled her chair next to his and pulled him into a hug, and let him cry. She couldn’t tell how much time had passed—a few minutes? Half an hour? An hour? When the sobs started to subside, she ran her hand soothingly along his spine until they had reduced to small hiccups. “I’m sorry that I kept pushing you to tell me,” she whispered.

 

She didn’t get an answer from him, but let the silence be. After a few more minutes, Adrien pulled away and turned the other way. “She was leaving to catch her flight,” he said quietly, “but I wanted her to stay to have breakfast with me before she left. She would’ve gotten on the right plane if I hadn’t made her stay. She would’ve landed on New York and come home two days later. She would be alive right now if it weren’t for me.”

 

“Oh, Adrien…” Marinette got up and walked over Adrien, and spun him around in his chair to face her. She put her hands on his shoulders. “Look at me, Adrien.” He looked up at her reluctantly with his red-rimmed eyes. “It was not your fault, Adrien. Don’t you _dare_ blame yourself for this, no matter what anyone tells you.”

 

Adrien looked away and nodded numbly.

 

“Wait here,” Marinette said softly.

 

She came back a few moments later with a thick slice of chocolate cake—honestly, it probably could’ve been sliced into three decent sized pieces—and handed him a fork. He took it wordlessly and shoved a bite into his mouth. They ate the rest of it slowly, savoring every last bit of the rich chocolate.

 

“I’m sorry I yelled at you earlier,” Adrien said as he put down his fork. “I shouldn’t have.”

 

“It’s okay. I kept pushing you to tell me.” She scraped the plate clean of frosting and held the fork out to Adrien. He leaned forward and licked the fork, and let the frosting melt in his mouth.

 

“I miss her so much,” he whispered. “I can’t believe it’s only been a year.”

 

“I know.” Marinette took his hand and squeezed it. “I miss her too.”

 

“I’m scared that I’m going to forget what her voice sounds like. Sometimes I try to hear her laugh and can’t remember what that sounds like either.”

 

Marinette doesn’t know how to respond to that.

 

“And sometimes I really want to talk to Father about her, listen to him tell stories about how they met, the good times they had together, just _anything_ , but he can’t even look at me anymore. Nathalie says that I look too much like her, and that he just needs more time.” You could hear the bitterness in his voice. “It’s like I lost both of them.”

 

“I’m sorry, Adrien,” Marinette says. “I hope you and your father can work things out, but you know that I’m always here for you, and my parents too. You’re always welcome here.”

 

Adrien sniffles at that, and leans his head on Marinette’s shoulder.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel holds a photo of Amelie and Adrien between his fingers. It’s one of his favorite photos of them, taken just a few weeks before her disappearance. Amelie’s arms are wrapped around Adrien’s shoulders, and her cheek rests on top of his head. Her expression is just so serene, and Adrien’s eyes shine like emeralds. Gabriel suddenly feels like he’s been punched in the guts. He hasn’t seen Adrien even close to being that happy since that day. He really tried to please his son—he allowed him to spend more time with his friend, Marinette. He let him redesign his whole bedroom. He didn’t even say a word when Adrien dropped his German classes.

 

Gabriel realizes that he’s holding the photo too tight now, and that it left wrinkles in Amelie’s hair. He gently places the photo back down onto his desk before pouring himself another splash of scotch. How many has he had now? Six? Seven? He lets the amber liquid swirl around in the glass a few times before taking a gulp and feeling it burn down his throat.

 

He would’ve scolded himself for such behavior not too long ago—it wasn’t proper for a man like himself to get drunk in the middle of the day. He had business to attend to, a company to run. He chases that thought away with another swig.

 

He had somehow pushed his son away. Gabriel chuckles bitterly at that. He actually knew exactly how he had pushed his son away. He had distanced himself when the boy needed him most. But he didn’t know how to be a father—Amelie had been the one who raised the boy. And Adrien reminded him too much of her…it was too much for him to handle.

 

Gabriel’s hand tightened around cold glass. But he had to try harder. He had to at least _try_ to be stronger for Adrien. He reached for the phone.

 

“Nathalie. Please inform Adrien that he will be having dinner with me tonight at seven. And make sure the chef prepares his favorite dishes.” He pauses. “And why don’t you pick up a few eclairs from his friend’s bakery while you’re at it.”

 

* * *

 

Adrien pushes the food around on his plate. He could feel his father looking at him, but doesn’t look up.

 

Gabriel clears his throat. “I thought you liked veal.”

 

Adrien shrugs and forces another piece of meat into his mouth. He quickly chews, and swallows. “I do. I’m just not very hungry right now.”

 

“Ah.”

 

Silence.

 

Gabriel’s hands are clammy and his heart is pounding. It shouldn’t be this hard to hold a conversation with his own son. “I was thinking, Adrien, how would you like to start working with me at _Gabriel_?”

 

Adrien looked up from his plate. “What do you mean?”

 

“Well,” Gabriel says slowly. “You’re fourteen years old now, nearly fifteen, and it might be good for you to start thinking about your future. Maybe you’d like to take over the business someday.”

 

“Oh. Sure, I guess.”

 

The rest of dinner is eaten in silence, and Adrien excuses himself from the table.

 

“Adrien, wait. You haven’t had dessert yet.”

 

“I’m not hungry, Father.”

 

“I had Nathalie pick up eclairs from the Dupain-Cheng bakery.”

 

“Oh.” Adrien sits back down.

 

“I’m sorry that we haven’t been able spend much time together.” He takes a deep breath. “I haven’t been much of a father to you, and I’m truly sorry for that.”  


 

“It’s okay,” Adrien mumbles. “You’ve been busy.”

 

“That’s no excuse.”

 

Adrien doesn’t say anything, and Gabriel feels an itch to pour himself another drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which adrien models for the first time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the super short chapter, especially after not posting last week! i'm drowning in midterms and just.....can't

Adrien can’t remember the last time he was in _Gabriel_ headquarters. Actually, that was a lie. He remembered that last time, he was there to visit his mother, who had been busy getting ready for the spring fashion show. He would visit every once in a while, idly chatting with her as she triple checked the designs. His mother had always made time for him, no matter how busy she was.

 

Nathalie led him to the elevators, and she pressed the button for the top floor. “Wait,” Adrien blurted. “That’s the modeling floor.”

 

Nathalie raised an eyebrow at him, clearly unamused. “Yes, Adrien, I am well aware of that.”

 

Adrien’s eyebrows scrunched together. “I thought I was going to shadow my father today.”

 

“Your father got overbooked on meetings today, so he asked that I take you to modelling.”

 

Adrien sighed dejectedly and crossed his arms. He tried to convince himself that it wouldn’t be _that_ bad, and that he’d only be there for a couple hours at most. As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he was ushered towards makeup, where Margaux, the senior makeup artist, smoothed on foundation and powder. Adrien had known her practically his entire life. They made small talk as she did her work. She asked about the simple things—school, fencing, Marinette. She briefly teased him about Marinette, asking if they had started dating yet, which he had denied and blushed profusely at.

 

He moved on to get his hair done, where he met Claire, who had just started working for _Gabriel_ barely a year ago, which explained why Adrien didn’t recognize her. He learned that she had grown up in a small town in southern France, and had moved to Paris in hopes of finding a better job. She had started as an intern, but quickly got promoted to her current position. She rambles on about how her boyfriend of four years is still living in their hometown, and that she hopes that he can move up to France to live with her.

 

Adrien was fitted into pair of olive green chinos and a chunky, cable-knit burgundy turtleneck sweater that was somehow still formfitting. And as if that wasn’t enough, they gave him a brown hooded jacket to wear over his sweater. His outfit felt suffocating, everything hugging him too tight. He stepped onto the white backdrop, listening to the photographer’s instructions.

  
“The look we’re looking for today is wistful! Or you may call it nostalgic! Yearning! Longing! Reflective!”

 

Adrien looks across the room to see Margaux give him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up. He stuffs his hands into his pocket and gives her a small smile.

 

“Yes! That’s it! Perfect! _Che bello_!” The photographer’s remarks were amusing. Adrien hadn’t even done anything yet, and yet the camera kept clicking, and the photographer was darting around the room and bending himself at crazy angles to get the shots.

 

Adrien ran his hand through his hair, thinking of what Marinette would do if she were there. She’s probably tease him mercilessly, and strike ridiculous poses to try to make him laugh. He imagines what his mother would think. He remembers the mock photoshoots they did when he was little. She’d urge him on, coaching him to lean against the wall a certain way, or to look in a certain direction. They’d always end up being goofy, with him making silly faces, or hanging upside-down from the couch.

 

“And that’s a wrap!” Adrien’s head snapped up. Already? It couldn’t have been more than half an hour. The photographer was walking towards him, and Adrien stiffened when his arms wrapped around him. “My beautiful boy! Such talent you hold! Such a natural, just like your mother.” He pulled away and put his hands on Adrien’s shoulders, and Adrien noticed that his eyes were glistening. “It was always such a pleasure to photograph your mother, and I am so honored to do the same for you now.”

 

Adrien was speechless. “I, uh, thank you?”

 

The photographer pulls Adrien towards the monitor, where the staff was already going through the photographs and selecting the best ones. “Look at these,” he cried. “Truly astounding!”

 

“I must agree with you, Vincent. Good job, Adrien.”

 

Adrien spun around to see his father observing the photographs intently. He can’t remember the last time he had received any kind of praise from his father. “Th-thank you, Father.”

 

“The car is waiting out front for you to take you to your piano lessons. Margaux can help you take the makeup off before you go.”

 

Adrien nodded and made his way over to makeup again. “Your mother would be so proud of you,” Margaux tells him as she wipes the last bit of makeup off his face. “I wish she could’ve been here to see you today.”  


“Yeah,” he says softly. “Me too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thanks for reading :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which we get some news

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, damn, it's been a rough week for me. but hopefully this chapter makes up for how short and shitty the last one was!

“Now, Gabriel, let’s be reasonable here. We’re not in the financial state to expand to America yet. New York would be a huge investment, and our numbers have been going down over the last year.”

 

Gabriel tried his best not to roll his eyes. “I’ve told you this many times already, Alan, but I’ll repeat myself again. This is not up for discussion. And please, let me remind you that you’re not the only one who holds an MBA in this room.” Gabriel feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulls it out to check the caller. Nathalie. “Please excuse me, I need to take this call.” Gabriel briskly walks into the hallway and answers the call. “Nathalie, you know that I have a mee­–”

 

“They found the plane.”

 

Gabriel felt his blood run cold. “What did you say?” he whispered.

 

“They found the body of the plane. It’s in the middle of the North Atlantic. They’re going to recover as much as possible.”

 

“Recover as much as possible,” Gabriel repeated. “As in, as much of the bodies as possible?”

 

There was a short pause. “Yes.”

 

Gabriel felt his legs carrying him down the hall. He pushed open the door and bent over the toilet before emptying his stomach’s contents into the bowl. He coughed and spat into the toilet before flushing it. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before lifting his phone back up to his ear. “So what happens now?”

 

“Because of…the state the passengers are in, officials will have to either run DNA tests or check dental records to verify their identities. Because there were nearly 200 passengers on the flight, the process might take a while.”

 

Gabriel stares at himself in the mirror. His skin is ashen, eyes dull, and the harsh fluorescent light only enhances his ghastly appearance. He sets his phone down and puts Nathalie on speaker before splashing water onto his face and rinsing the acidic taste out of his mouth. “Will you please escort Adrien to my office after school?”

 

“Of course.”

 

* * *

 

 

 Adrien frowns as they take a left instead of their usual right. He leans forward in his seat. “Don’t I have Chinese lessons?”

 

“Your father requested to see you. I’m not sure how long it will be, so I’ve cleared your schedule for the rest of the day.”

 

Adrien could feel the knots forming in his stomach. “Is this about my mother?”

 

“That’s a question for your father.”

 

If there was something that Nathalie was good at, it was keeping her composure. But, if there was something Adrien was good at, it was reading people. Despite her expressionless face and nonchalant tone, her jaw was now clenched, and her knuckles were white from holding on to her tablet so tightly.

 

Adrien leaned back into his seat and closed his eyes. _It’s not your fault_ , he thought to himself. _It’s not your fault that your mother is dead_. He could feel the heavy feeling of guilt spread throughout his body. _It’s not your fault!_ , he screamed in his head. It felt like an elephant was sitting on his chest and he tried to hear Marinette’s voice in his head, telling him that it wasn’t his fault. _But it was my fault,_ he thought. _It’s my fault that I don’t have a mother, and that my father doesn’t have a wife. All. My. Fault._ Adrien felt tears trickle down his cheeks from the corner of his eyes. He opens his eyes to stare at the ceiling as he gasps for air. _Why was I so selfish?_ He feels arms wrap around his shoulders. Fingers running through his hair. Someone pulling him tight to their chest. He can’t hear what they’re saying, not with the blood pounding through his ears. He tries to take deep, calculated breaths, but they’re shaky.

 

“That’s it, Adrien, slow, deep breaths. Good job. In, and out.” It’s Nathalie’s voice, soft and soothing. “You’re okay, Adrien, you’re okay.”

 

He lets Nathalie hold him for a few more minutes before he tries to sit back up. He avoids her gaze and looks out the window and realizes that they’re pulled over in the front of a supermarket. He wipes the tears away with the back of his hand and clears his throat. “Sorry. We can go now.”

 

The rest of the ride to _Gabriel_ headquarters silent. Adrien wrung his hands nervously, praying that Nathalie wouldn’t tell his father about the incident.

 

* * *

 

Gabriel’s thumb hovered over the number he was so close to calling just two years ago. He took a deep breath and pressed call.

 

She answered almost immediately. “Hello?”

 

“Hello Sabine. It’s Gabriel. Adrien’s father.”

 

“I know. I have your number saved.”

 

Gabriel coughed awkwardly. To be quite honest, no one scared him quite as much as Sabine did.  “I guess I’ll just get to the point then. Could Adrien stay at your home tonight?”

 

There was a short pause. “You know Adrien is always welcome in our home, Gabriel.” Sabine’s voice is cautious. “Is everything alright?”

 

“Erm…I just received some news regarding the plane. They found it. And they’re recovering what’s left of the bodies.” He had to force that last word out. Sabine’s gasp was audible through the phone.

 

“I am so sorry, Gabriel.” She pauses. “But don’t you think that tonight would be a good time for you to spend a little bit of time with your son? You two are _both_ going through this. He needs his father most right now.”

 

“I don’t think I will be good company for my son tonight. He would probably rather find comfort in his best friend than me.”

 

“Well,” Sabine says slowly, “Adrien is welcome to stay for as long as he’d like, but I really do think you should talk to your son and spend some time with the boy. Even if it doesn’t seem like it, he needs you right now.”

 

“Thank you, Sabine. And I will think about that. You should expect Adrien after dinnertime.” Before Sabine could say anything else, Gabriel hung up. He was _not_ in the mood for a lecture about parenting.

 

Gabriel leaned back in his chair and thought about what Sabine had said. He knew that he should be there for Adrien right now. Hell, he should’ve been there for him for more than just the first couple weeks. But he and Adrien were never close. A part of him had wished that tragedy would’ve miraculously brought them together, but it didn’t. It pushed them even further apart. And Gabriel knew that it was mostly, if not entirely his own fault. He tried to make excuses for himself—he didn’t know what a father-son relationship was like because his own father was more interested in a relationship with a bottle of whiskey, or that the company required too much of his time and attention, or that Adrien simply wasn’t interested in his love.

  
He knew they were all pathetic excuses.

 

He thought that having Adrien work at _Gabriel_ would ease the tension. It would be something that they had in common. And the cameras love Adrien, just as they did Amelie. Gabriel smiled a little at that, remembering how natural she was at modelling, along with designing and handling _Gabriel_ ’s most elite clients. A jack of all trades, she used to joke.

 

Adrien seemed to enjoy modeling. Gabriel had watched a few of Adrien’s first shoots and was amazed at how naturally his body fell into the poses, and how easily his expression could change to the mood the photographer was looking for. He would praise Adrien during the short breaks, and his heart warmed at how his son’s eyes would light up for just a moment, how the corners of his lips would turn up to form a small smile.

 

He’s pulled out of his reverie when Adrien knocks on his door. “You wanted to see me, Father?”

 

Gabriel feels his heart start racing. “Your mother,” he managed to get out. “They found her plane.” Adrien didn’t seem surprised so he continued. “I wanted to speak to you about funeral plans. Your mother and I never discussed it because we didn’t expect for it to be necessary so soon.” Adrien flinched slightly at that. “So, what do you think?”

 

Adrien crosses his arms and stares at the ground. “I’m not sure, Father. I don’t really know how this all is supposed to work.”

 

Gabriel takes a deep breath and wonders if he should even be asking Adrien such questions. “Well, we can either bury her, or cremate her.”

 

Adrien makes a face at that. “Would it be weird to just have a jar of Mom’s ashes in the house?”

 

“Well, you could think of it as having her close to us all the time.”

 

Adrien looks up to meet Gabriel’s gaze for a split second before looking away again. “Could we do both? I mean, bury an empty coffin and have a nice headstone and funeral, and then cremate her so we can have her around?”

 

“I think that’s a good idea, Adrien.”

 

Adrien relaxes a little at that and Gabriel feels the weight in the room shift. “I’ve also made arrangements with Sabine for you to spend the night at the Dupain-Cheng’s. I thought you’d maybe like to spend some time with Marinette tonight.”

 

Adrien makes a face at that and turns his head up to look at Gabriel in the eyes. “As much as I love spending time with my best friend, don’t you think that I would like to spend some time with you, _my last living parent_?”

 

Gabriel opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Adrien continued to speak. “What’s the excuse this time? You’re working on the fall line? Is fashion week so much more important than your son? I’ll see you when you actually want to be my father.” He turned on his heel to leave Gabriel’s office.

 

Gabriel could feel the heat rise up his neck and spread through his face. “That is no way to speak to your father!” he thundered, but the door had already slammed shut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thanks so much for reading!! feel free to chat me up :) xx


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which adrienette have a sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a continuation of the last chapter!

Marinette closed the door behind them. “Okay. What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing,” Adrien muttered.

 

“You’ve been model-smiling at my parents all night. Something’s wrong.”

 

“I don’t model-smile!” Adrien retorted.

 

“Do too.”

 

“Do not!”

 

Silence. “Okay fine. Be a broody, tortured teenage boy who doesn’t ever talk about his feelings.”

 

Adrien flopped onto Marinette’s chaise and buried his face into the pillow before letting out a long scream. A few moments later, he came up for air before going at it again. After forcing out the very last bit of the scream, Adrien rolled over to lay on his back.

 

“Are you ready to talk about it now?”

 

“Yeah,” he mumbled. “I yelled at my father and he’s probably going to disown me now.”

 

Marinette nudged Adrien’s hips over to make room for her to sit on the chaise. “What did you yell at him about?”

 

“For making me coming here tonight.”

 

Marinette raised her eyebrow at him.

 

“Not that I don’t _want_ to be here. It’s just that I would ideally be at home with my father right now, doing some dumb father-son bonding or whatever. I don’t know.” Adrien let out a heavy sigh. “It was kinda okay at first. We were talking about what to do about my mom. He wanted my input or whatever because he and my mom apparently never talked about it. So, I suggested that she gets cremated and we have a proper funeral for her, but with an empty coffin—since, you know, there’s no body if we’re gonna cremate her. So, that was all good and then he’s all like, ‘yeah, you’re spending the night at Marinette’s tonight’ and I just kinda snapped at him for not wanting to hang out with me or whatever _because we just found out they found Mom’s body_ and stormed out of his office. I could hear him yell after I slammed the door.”

 

Marinette chewed on her bottom lip. “Okay, your father probably deserved that. But also…”

 

Adrien groaned and pulled the pillow down onto his face. “I _know_. I probably shouldn’t have yelled. But he could’ve been a better father!”

 

“Do you think this is gonna blow over?”

 

“Probably not in the near future.”

 

“Well…let’s give it a week before we get too worried. You know what’s a good way to treat pain?” Marinette got up and started rummaging through a drawer.

 

Adrien groaned. “More pain.”

 

Marinette flashed him a smile as she waved a tube of a clay mask at him. “Time for a peely mask!” she sang.

 

Adrien patted his face daintily. “That drugstore mask better not mess up this face.” He struck a pose and shot Marinette a cheesy smile. “This face is worth _millions_.”

 

“Adrien Agreste, the teenage heartthrob. Oh, those cheekbones!” Marinette pretended to faint, which got a giggle out of Adrien.

 

“Oh, shut up. Come here and put that dumb crap on my face.”

 

* * *

 

Adrien did _not_ remember it hurting this bad last time. His eyes were watering and he tilted his head back so that the tears wouldn’t run down the dry clay. “Marinette,” he whined, “you’re going to have to get this off for me.”

 

Marinette, who had successfully peeled away the mask in one piece looked over at Adrien and snorted. “I’m almost done. I’m just gonna wash my face real quick and put on some moisturizer.” She laughed again and muttered, “big baby” under her breath.

 

“Hey! I heard that!”

 

After ten minutes, and a lot of squirming, Marinette managed to peel away Adrien’s mask in one piece too. She held bottom side up to the light. “Wouldya look at that. Adrien Agreste, who has a million-dollar face, also has blackheads.”

 

“Ugh, stop that! It’s so gross!”

 

“But also, _so_ satisfying. You’ve gotta admit, it’s satisfying seeing all those little guys stuck to the mask.”

 

Adrien rubbed at his face. “I don’t think that’s satisfying enough for it to be worth the pain.”

 

“Beauty _is_ pain.” Marinette nudged him toward her bathroom. “Go wash up and stuff. I’ll be waiting for you up in my bed.”

 

Adrien waggled his eyebrows suggestively at her. “I’ll be right up My Lady.”

 

Marinette snorted before shoving him. She grabbed her tablet and made her way up to her lofted bed. “What movie do you wanna watch?”

 

“Let’s watch one of those really bad American chick flicks,” Adrien called out from the bathroom. His voice was muffled, probably by a towel. “What’s that one called, where they wear pink on Tuesdays or whatever?”

 

“Wednesdays,” Marinette corrected. “And yeah, lemme try finding a link with French subs.”

 

Marinette was scrolling through the depths of the internet when Adrien crawled into bed. “Feel my face, Mari. It’s sooooo soft.”

 

“Yeah, hold on a sec.” Marinette clicked on a link, praying that it wouldn’t give her tablet a virus.

 

“ _Mari_ ,” Adrien whined. “Feel my face!”

 

“Hold on!”

 

Adrien’s nose scrunched up. She left him no choice. He sidled up to her and rubbed his cheek against hers. Marinette squealed and shoved him away. “Okay, okay! I’ll feel your face.” She reached out and gently patted his cheek. “Oh, yes, very soft,” Marinette said seriously. “Especially with all that peach fuzz.”

 

Adrien jerked away. “Hey! That’s no way to talk to my luscious facial hair!”

 

They both snorted at that.

 

Adrien leaned over to look at the screen. “Have you found a link yet?”

 

Marinette frowned. “No, they all either have watermarks or the audio and picture don’t line up.”

 

Adrien pushed up his sleeves. “Okay this sounds like a job for Master Adrien. Hand it over to the expert.” He held out his hand and waggled his fingers.

 

Marinette held her tablet out and rolled her eyes. “Good luck.”

 

A few minutes later, Adrien held the tablet back out with a smug look on his face. “And you were saying?”

 

Adrien lasted half an hour before falling asleep. His head was nestled in Marinette’s lap, arm slung over her legs. She watched his chest fall and rise slowly, and at how peaceful his face was. Ever since he started modeling and became the new face of _Gabriel_ , Adrien changed. Marinette didn’t know how to describe it. He was still the same person, still her best friend, but the way he carried himself had changed. He became more cautious about how he spoke, how he acted. Hell, he was watching what he ate now, at the request—no, _demand_ —of his father, via a dietitian. If it weren’t for his frequent visits, and her parents’ badgering, he’d probably be just skin and bones.

 

Marinette felt a sudden surge of anger. Adrien, sweet, kind-hearted, Adrien of all people, did _not_ deserve this. Whatever higher power that existed—they had been cruel in letting this happen to him. A light inside of Adrien had been extinguished that day, almost two years ago. Gabriel had been pulled even further into desolation, and Amelie was robbed of a long, happy life. Marinette scowled Regina George before turning off her tablet and tossing it to the foot of her bed. She gently lifted Adrien’s arm so that she could wiggle down to lay next to him. He mumbled something incoherent before snuggling into the crook of her neck. Marinette curled up as close as she could to Adrien before drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, thanks so much to everyone for reading!!


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which we say goodbye to amelie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact: this was one of the first chapters i wrote

Marinette watches the raindrops hit her window as Sabine braids her hair and twists it into a tight bun, pushing in a few pins to secure it. “How does that feel, honey? Is it too tight?”

 

She shakes her head, and Sabine leaves her daughter in her room. Marinette walks away from the window to pick up the dress laid out on her chaise. It was the first design she created on her own—a simple black velvet dress. It was modest, nothing spectacular, and the stitching was more than a little uneven. A thick, satin ribbon of the same color wrapped around the waist of the dress, tied in a neat bow in the back. Marinette carefully slips it on and pulls on sheer black tights and a pair of black Mary Janes.

 

The drive to the cemetery was quick. The rain had picked up its pace, and the drops became heavier. Marinette stepped out of the car, pushing open her umbrella—also black. She spots Adrien standing stiffly next to his father, staring at the coffin. She makes her way over, gently taking Adrien’s hand. He looks up at her with dull green eyes, red from crying.

 

“Hey.” His voice is hoarse, and tries to smile, even though it doesn’t reach his eyes.

 

“Hey,” Marinette whispered back. She squeezes his hand and he squeezes back. “How are you doing?” She knows the answer already, but asks anyway in hopes of a different answer.

 

“I still can’t believe that she’s gone. _Really_ gone.”

 

The minister clears his throat. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of Amelie Charlotte Agreste. It is the death of our friend that has brought us together…”

 

The rest of the service goes by in a blur. Marinette steps forward to place a white lily across the coffin. “Thank you,” Marinette murmurs, “for giving me a passion, and for Adrien.”

 

 Marinette feels a heavy hand rest on her shoulder. “Your mother and I need to head back to the bakery soon. Will you be going to the Agreste’s for the reception or are you coming back with us?”

 

She tilts her head to rest on her father’s hand. “I think I’ll go to the reception. I don’t think Adrien should be alone today. Is that alright, Papa?”

 

“Of course.” He bends down and presses a kiss to the top of her head before walking away.

 

Marinette finally looks up from the coffin to see that the crowd had thinned out. She spots Adrien sitting on the steps of the church, knees pulled tight to his chest, and she rushes over to him.

 

“Adrien!” He doesn’t look up. His hair is plastered to his forehead and his suit was completely soaked through. Marinette held her umbrella over him and sat down too, ignoring the cold sensation seeping through her dress. “Adrien,” she says again, softer this time. “It’s time to go. Let’s get you back home and into dry clothes.”

 

She gently tugged at his arm and willed him to stand up. They make their way to the limo, where the Gorilla was waiting patiently. They were silent the entire way back to the Agreste mansion, with Adrien holding tightly onto Marinette’s hand.

 

They were greeted by Gabriel in the parlor. “Hello, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng.” He turned to speak to Adrien before Marinette could say anything. His voice was hard, masked with disdain as he spoke to Adrien. “Adrien. Please go upstairs and make yourself presentable before coming back down. We have guests to tend to.”

 

“Fine,” Adrien mumbled.

 

Gabriel raised his eyebrow. “What was that?”

 

Adrien gritted his teeth. “Yes, Father,” he said coolly, in a slow, steady voice. Marinette followed him up the stairs, into his room.

 

The size of Adrien’s room never ceased to amaze Marinette. She remembered the first time she saw his room as a four-year-old child. Back then, Adrien still didn’t have the rock wall, the arcade games, or the foosball table. Those came after Amelie’s disappearance. But the room was still large, adorned with expensive toys and a massive fish tank with all sorts of exotic fish. They had named every last one of them.

 

A gentle rumble of thunder pulled Marinette out of her reverie. Adrien, still in his wet suit, walked over to her with a blow dryer in hand. “Um…I don’t really have a spare dress for you or anything…so you can try drying it with this I guess.”

 

Marinette threw him a grateful smile. “Thanks, Adrien.” She slipped into his bathroom and tugged off her dress. She turned the blow dryer to the highest setting she could, praying that the high heat wouldn’t damage the fabric.

 

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Adrien had already changed. He was staring at his desktop background—a photo of his mother when she was a teenager. Marinette approached him, and gently touched his arm. “Hey.”

 

“It’s all my fault.” His voice cracked. “It’s my fault she’s dead.” A tear tricked down his cheek and he hastily brushed it away.

 

“Adrien,” Marinette murmured. “Don’t say that. It’s not your fault.”

 

Adrien pulled his arm away and turned to look at her. “It _is_ my fault though. It’s _my_ fault that she got on that plane!” Tears were streaming down his face now and he didn’t bother wiping them away this time.

 

“It is _not_ your fault,” Marinette repeats firmly. “Don’t you _dare_ put this on yourself.”

 

That only made Adrien cry even harder. Marinette fiercely pulls him into a tight embrace, rubbing his back soothing circles. “It’s okay,” she whispers. “Just let it all out.”

 

At first, Adrien’s arms hung limply at his sides, but he eventually wraps them around Marinette too, taking in her warmth. She lets him take his time, and when his sobs subside into sniffles and hiccups, she loosens her grip on him.

 

He pulls away from her and offers her a weak smile. “This really needs to stop happening. But thanks.” His voice is barely audible. “I really needed that.”

 

“You know I’m always here for you.”

 

Their faces are just inches apart and Marinette reaches up to wipe away a stray tear.

 

Adrien leans closer and Marinette feels her heart skip a beat. “Marinette, I…I–”

 

A flash of lightening illuminates the dim room, followed by a crack of thunder, causing both of them to jump.

 

Marinette clears her throat and tries to keep her voice steady. “You might want to wash your face before we go back down. And dry your hair.”

 

Adrien doesn’t meet her gaze and shuffles into the bathroom. Marinette flops onto his bed and stares at the ceiling. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears. Was Adrien Agreste, her best friend of eight years, about to kiss her? The boy she’s had countless sleepovers with, with whom she played superheroes—heck she’s even taken baths with him when they were kids! She squeezed her eyes shut, pushing the thoughts out of her head.

 

But would it be so bad? Marinette makes a noise of frustration as she sits up.

 

“You okay?”

 

Marinette jumps a little, startled by his question. She hadn’t even heard the blow dryer turn off. She shakes her head. “It’s nothing.”

 

She follows him downstairs and stands next to him as he accepts words of condolence, many of which were from his father’s colleagues. Knowing his father’s relationship with his coworkers—or rather, lack thereof—Adrien assumed that they were present out of obligation. But a few he recognized were friends of his mother.

 

Marinette watches Adrien as he interacts with the guests. He is poised and offers smiles and laughs that only Marinette knows are ingenuous. He has beautifully mastered the craft of masking his true emotions.

 

When only a few guests are remaining, the pair slip back into Adrien’s room. Neither of them bother turning the lights on. Marinette sits on the couch and Adrien lays down with his head resting in her lap. They watch the rain trickle down the windows, and Marinette runs her fingers through Adrien’s hair.

 

“I love you, Marinette.”

 

Marinette’s hand freezes for a split second before she returns to the original pace. She hopes Adrien doesn’t notice. “I love you too, Adrien.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, thanks so much for reading!! i'll be going on hiatus for the rest of april....too many finals in too little time = a shit ton of stress. i'll hopefully be back by the end of the month/early may! xx


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which our babies go back to school but adrien has gone awol

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> surprise, i'm back! i survived a rough semester and pulled through with some pretty okay grades :) this isn't one of my best/favorite chapters but i'll be working on putting out longer and better chapters in the future. meanwhile, enjoy :)

He had disappeared off the face of the earth. It was the night before the first day of _quatrième_ , their second to last year of collège. Marinette laid on her back in her bed, holding her phone over her head as she tapped out a series of messages to Adrien.

 

 **Marinette:** I’m so nervous and excited for tomorrow

 **Marinette:** I don’t get why I still get nervous for the first day of school

 **Marinette:** I’ve done tis a million times already

 **Marinette:** Can’t wait for another year of physics

 **Marinette:** (not really)

 **Marinette:** You’re gonna have to tutor me again this year

 

Marinette’s arms fall to her side and she stares at the ceiling. It’s not like she’s _bad_ at school. She’s actually rather good at French Language and Literature and her other humanities classes. It’s just those pesky science classes that she tended to fall behind in.

 

She raises her phone over her head again to send a few more messages.

 

 **Marinette:** How have you been anyway?

 **Marinette:** I haven’t seen you since last Tuesday

 **Marinette:** Thank god your father let you get a phone

 **Marinette:** I’d otherwise hear from you like, once a week with that crazy stupid schedule you have.

 **Marinette:** Did you talk to your father about cutting back on modeling?

 

Marinette got up and walked down to her desk. Her sketchpad was open, and pencils were scattered haphazardly. She glanced at the sketch she was working on earlier and frowned. It was a design for a sundress she had started weeks ago, in hopes of getting it ready for when school started again. She had actually designed dozens of dresses, none of which she was satisfied with. She wanted something unique, and all of her sketches looked like something she could buy off the rack.

 

She sat down in her chair and flipped to a new page. A fresh start. She smoothed her hand across the paper and sat up a little straighter. After staring at the blank page for a few moments, she groaned and leaned back in her chair, pushing away from the desk. She let herself spin a couple times as she stared at the ceiling when a flash of red in her periphery caught her attention.

 

It was her old Ladybug costume. It was stuffed carelessly into a crate with her childhood stuffed animals. She smiled at it fondly and rolled over to it in her chair. She rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers, remembering the adventures Ladybug had with Chat Noir. She felt the lightbulb go off in her head.

  
Marinette rolled back to her desk and started sketching, before the design could escape her. An hour later, she grinned at the final result, finally satisfied.

 

Her euphoria quickly faded. Adrien still hadn’t responded, which was very unlike him. He wouldn’t have a photoshoot this late in the evening, and his lessons were all scheduled for the afternoon. She bit her lip nervously and tapped out another text.

 

 **Marinette:** Hey…you okay?

 

Marinette’s eyes stayed glued to the screen, hoping that the wave of ellipses would pop up. She tapped her foot in anticipation. _C’mon Adrien, respond!_

 

She hopes that he didn’t get in another spat with his father. Since the plane was found and Adrien yelled at his father, the tension had skyrocketed. Just a couple days ago, they had an argument over Adrien’s wishes to continue public school, and the dispute quickly ended in a stalemate. Her thumb hovers over the call button for a few seconds before she quickly presses it. She raises the phone to her ear, only to hear Adrien’s voice right away.

 

“Hey, this is Adrien! Sorry for not making it to the phone right _meow_. _Paw_ -lease leave a message and I’ll get back to you!” Marinette snorts. The message switches over to the automated woman’s voice “Please leave your message after the tone. Then hang up or press pound for more options.” _Beep_.

 

Marinette sighs. “Hey, um, it’s me. Just checking in with you. Wanted to make sure you’re alright. Call me back. Or I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Love you, bye.”

 

She hits the end button and calls it a day.

 

* * *

Marinette’s heart is racing when she sits in her usual seat and the one next for her is empty. Adrien is never late for anything, especially not school. Everyone around her is chattering excitedly about their summers, telling stories of vacations to America, or day trips to the beach.

 

“Hey Marinette!” Marinette looks up to see Nathanael offer her a shy smile.

 

She smiles back at him. She and Nathanael had become friends in the last year though their shared interest in art. It started when he caught her staring over his shoulder while mindlessly sketching during their lunch hour. Before he could say anything, Marinette had squeaked out a compliment and asked what kind of pencils and pens he used for his comics. After that, their friendship quickly grew.

 

“Hi Nathanael! How was your summer? Did you do anything fun?”

 

Nathanael shrugged. “It was alright. I did an art program at ENS for a couple months.”

 

Marinette’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “You did _what_? Oh my goodness Nath, that’s amazing!”

 

Nathanael’s face turned a lovely crimson shade. “It’s no–”

 

“Don’t you _dare_ say that it’s nothing. And tell me _everything_.”

 

If it was possible, his face reddened even more. “I don’t even know where to start.” His cheeks started to return to their normal color as he started to gush about the program. “Oh my _god_ , Marinette, you should’ve seen the materials and supplies they let us use. They had like, top notch stuff that I couldn’t even dream of buying for myself. Everyone was so good, so it was pretty competitive and stressful but I learned a ton about developing my style more. But enough about me. What did you do all summer?”

 

Marinette shrugged. “Not much, really. I mostly just helped out at the bakery, which I don’t mind all that much.”

 

“I’m sure your parents really appreciated it though!” Nath nodded towards the empty seat next to Marinette. “Where’s Adrien?”

 

Marinette’s stomach twisted into knots and she gnawed nervously at her bottom lip. “I’m not really sure…I haven’t heard from him in a while and I’m starting to get really worried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, thanks for reading :) xx


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which adrien is sent away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a mini break to my long hiatus! Thank you all for being so patient. I've been running around like a headless chicken since like......the beginning of this year lol. I was getting really burnt out from school and life in general, so I decided to take a break. Since this chapter is so short, I'll try to update against next weekend, but as usual, since everything's been so hectic, I can't make any promises!

Adrien stepped out of the silver sedan and sighed. He had just gotten back from a meeting with his new dietitian, who had implemented a new meal plan for him. The last one had been fired after refusing Gabriel’s orders for creating an even lower calorie diet for him.

 

Adrien’s stomach growled and he tried his best to ignore it. He was glad that school was starting up again. It meant that Marinette would be bringing him treats from the bakery, and there was no one at school to dictate his eating habits. His stomach growled even louder at the thought of the savory flavor of soft, cheesy bread.

 

He swung the door open and nearly jumped when he saw both his father and Nathalie waiting for him in the foyer. He eyed the neat arrangement of suitcases that Nathalie stood next to.

 

“Father,” Adrien said cautiously. “What is this?”

 

“You will be attending a new school from now on.”

 

Adrien felt his mouth go dry. “Father, I’ve gotten good marks in all of my classes. I thought–”

 

“That’s exactly the problem,” Gabriel interjected. “Public school is no longer meeting your educational needs.”

 

“But the suitcases?”

 

“You will be attending Le Rosey from now on.”

 

Adrien searched his father’s face for any hint of this being joke. Of course, his father was in no way a funny man, but Adrien still hoped. He turned to Nathalie, who held the same emotionless countenance. His stomach started to twist into knots. “But Fath–”

 

A hint of anger twisted into Gabriel’s expression. “Adrien, do you realize how many favors I had to ask to get you enrolled so late? You should be grateful that you are able to attend one of the greatest schools in the world!”

 

Heat rose up into Adrien’s face. “I never asked for this, _Father_ ,” he spat. “I am perfectly happy at Francoise Dupont and I’m sure as hell not going all the way to Switzerland.”

 

“Language, Adrien,” Gabriel warned. “And yes, you are going to Switzerland. Your bags are already packed and Nathalie will be escorting you there in the company jet.”

 

Adrien felt a firm, heavy hand land on his shoulder. “It’s time to go, Adrien.” He recognized the gravelly voice as his chauffeur’s.

 

He gritted his teeth together. “You’re doing this because of mom,” he spat out. “You can’t stand to look at me because you think I’m the reason she’s dead. I just wanted to spend more time with my mother. You? You constantly sent her off to do your business. So whose fault is it really?”

 

Adrien breathed heavily, and listened to the sound of his blood pounding in his ears. He watched his father’s face, searching for even a twitch, but Gabriel kept his perfect composure.

 

“Are you done with your childish tantrum? You will be late to the airport.”

 

Adrien resisted the urge to let out a blood-curdling scream and turned on his heel. _Calmly walk to the car, calmly walk to the car, calmly walk to the car_. He took a deep breath and took slow, measured steps toward the silver sedan that he had just gotten out of minutes ago. Gorilla had made it to the car before him, and held the door open. Nathalie slipped into the front seat and the two of them sat in silence as Gorilla loaded the trunk with Adrien’s belongings.

 

“I’m very sorry, Adrien,” Nathalie said quietly. “I truly am.”

 

Adrien remained silent.


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which mari discover's adrien's whereabouts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's another short chapter....i promise the next one will be longer! thanks for reading!!!! xx

Marinette nearly jumped out of her skin when her phone rang and started pawing through her bedspread desperately. _Adrien._ She swiped to answer and started talking shrilly before her phone even reached her ear. “Adrien! Do you know how worried I was? Where were you last night? Why weren’t you in school this morning? Oh my god, are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay. I’ve been so, so, _so_ worried about you! I thought that–”

 

“Marinette, I’m okay.” Adrien started speaking a mile a minute. “I’m so sorry, I was going to call you last night, but my phone died on the plane and I couldn’t charge it when I got to my room because no one packed me a goddam outlet converter thingy, and I couldn’t get one until this morning and–”

 

“Wait, you _flew_ somewhere last night? Where are you? You _flew_ somewhere the night before the first day of school? What the heck!”

 

“Okay you need to stop for like five minutes and let me explain. I’m in Switzerland. Father enrolled me in Le Rosey. It came out of nowhere! I got home last night and my suitcases were already packed and…” Adrien ranted to his best friend, who sat on the other end of the line, completely silent.

 

The silence hung between them for a few moments when Adrien finished telling his story. “So…wow,” Marinette said.

 

“Yeah, wow,” Adrien agreed.

 

“So you don’t know when you’re coming back.”

 

“I don’t even know _if_ I’m coming back, Mari.”

 

“Don’t be dramatic, Adrien. There’s no way your father would leave you in Switzerland forever.”

 

“He definitely would.”

 

“Yeah…wow. You’re in Switzerland. Maybe I could get my parents to–”

 

“Please don’t. It’ll just make it worse.”

  
“But Adrien­–”

  
“Really, Mari. Don’t. Please. It’ll just make him even madder.”

 

Marinette huffed. “Your father is such a dick.”

 

“I know.”

 

Silence.

 

“So…tell me about your first day. What’s it like at rich kid school?”

 

“Dumb. Horrible. A nightmare.”

  
“Wow, that sounds lovely. Have you met anyone nice?”

 

“Not really. I met Chloe Bourgeois. You know, the mayor’s daughter.”

 

Marinette snorted. “I’m sure she’s _great_ company. I wonder what she did for daddy dearest to send her all the way to Switzerland.”

 

“My father must’ve done something because she’s been clinging onto me like…uh…like lint.”

 

That made Marinette laugh. “Okay as horrible as she sounds, maybe give her a chance because she’s all you’ve got right now and it wouldn’t hurt to make a few friends.”

 

“I guess you’re right. I just wish—Oh _shit_ , I forgot I had a meeting with a headmaster! I was supposed to be there five minutes ago. I’m so sorry, Mari, I gotta go! I’ll call you later _l_ _oveyoubye_!”

 

Adrien hung up before Marinette could even respond. “Love you too,” she sighed.


End file.
